Our History

Petra Waldherr-Merk, Felix Merk and Burckhard Winkel manage this small family company in the small town of Lenggries, Germany – in the heart of Bavaria.

Petra’s great aunt made these exceptional liqueurs for over 40 years before handing them onto Petra prior to her passing. The Waldherr family produces Hirschkuss in small batches with great care and passion. The original Hirkschkuss liqueur has a truly unique flavor that is as rich in its herbal bitters as it is smooth with a chocolaty caramel finish.

Making Hirschkuss:Hirschkuss, which translates from the German as “Stag Kiss”, is a delicious herbal liqueur with 35% ABV. The confidential recipe calls for a mixture of about 40 different herbs and roots, and almost all of these are native to the Bavarian Alp region. They include gentian, melissa, anise, valerian root, caraway, lovage, juniper, woodruff, arnica, ginger and … of course several herbs, which will remain a closely guarded secret.

Each herb is carefully weighed, ground, and blended. The herbal mixture is then macerated or steeped like a tea for several days to create an extract. The extract is then fused with alcohol and water and left to unfold for some time before filtering. This process is repeated until the perfect extract is produced for the final ripening process. During this procedure, the bitters mature to create the full-bodied flavor, which creates the unique experience that is Hirschkuss.